The Foreign Ministry answered the Prime Minister of the Netherlands on his statement about the status of Ukraine as a candidate for the EU./Channel 24 Collage
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made a controversial statement. According to him, the likelihood that Ukraine will soon receive the status of an EU candidate is not great.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has already responded to such assumptions. Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for the department, said in a comment to Channel 24 that each country deserves an individual approach to entry based on its own virtues.
How Rutte justifies his opinion
According to the prime minister of the Netherlands, there are many states in the European Union that do not like the idea of Ukraine's membership. Allegedly, the point is that this would be unfair to the countries of the Western Balkans. After all, they have been waiting for such a status much longer.
At the same time, Rutte said that supposedly there are several options for what will happen to our application. One of them will grant Ukraine the status of a potential candidate for admission. Then, according to him, we should be given a period during which we still have to do something to obtain a full-fledged status.
Rutte says that in this way, our government will not lose motivation to work. He also gives an example of Bosnia, which is in a similar situation on this matter.
What they say in the Foreign Ministry
Speaker Oleg Nikolenko says that it is unfair tie the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine to progress in the integration of the Western Balkans.
We fully support the European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans. But granting candidate status for Ukraine and the countries of the Western Balkans does not contradict each other. On the contrary, it should be a complementary process. The integration of Ukraine and the Western Balkans will only make the EU stronger and more prosperous. – he assured.
Nikolenko stressed that Ukraine defends European values, peace and security of Europe. We pay a high price for this – we give the lives of our citizens.
“We hear many words of support and admiration for the courage of Ukrainians, assurances of belonging to one European family. The moment of truth has come: the EU must demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine not only in words, but also in deeds,” Nikolenko said.
According to him, it is in Europe's interests to look for solutions, not excuses.
What is known about Ukraine's application
- Our state applied for membership, having repulsed the first attacks of the Russian invasion on Ukraine. The EU approved it, and Ursula von der Leyen personally came to Kyiv to give Volodymyr Zelensky a special questionnaire. It has already been promptly filled out and given to the EU. Now, the application for admission should be considered at the corresponding summit in June.
- At the same time, world politicians often make ambiguous statements about this, similar to what Rutte says. First, French President Emmanuel Macron distinguished himself. Then the French minister, who said that our accession to the EU will take 20 years. Oleg Nikolenko also reacted to this, answering that Russia's military aggression against Ukraine showed the need to rethink the future of Europe.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky himself reacted to France's statements. He did not agree that Ukraine deserves to become a member of the EU, but the application must wait. That's what Macron said. Our president says that such words are wrong, because we should want to see the EU, it should be a bilateral desire.
